‘National Lampoon’s Van Wilder‘ came out sixteen years ago and more or less re-lit the fire for National Lampoon. This also paved the way for Deadpool himself Ryan Reynolds, as this was his first feature film in a leading role. Some of the jokes don’t hit too well in our current politically correct culture, but it’s silly enough to have fun with it. It’s just unfortunate that the filmmakers went the gross-out humor route solely and failed to develop these good characters, but that seemed to be the case in 2002. Also, it’s unfortunate that this is not a new remaster or transfer. This is the same video and audio presentations from the 2007 Blu-ray release, which of course had its problems. I imagine Lionsgate is trying to make a quick and easy dollar for the release of ‘Deadpool 2‘, hence this re-release that has no new extras on it. Still, if you’re a fan of the film and want the Digital Copy, this is a way to get it.

We are turning it to 11 with the 11th episode of the newest podcast under the MULTI-MEDIA MEN banner called ‘Media-Ocrity‘, where the show is just – okay. Here on the show, we focus strictly on horror/sci-fi, comic books, and video games – basically all the fun stuff that tickles your fancy. In our eleventh episode, titled ‘Gene Wilder Is Our Childhood Movie Drawn By Jack Kirby’, we discuss in detail the death of Gene Wilder as well as some of the other sad celebrity deaths this year. We also talk about our favorite childhood movies and the ones that didn’t hold up so well. We also discuss the life and career of one of the greatest comic book artists ever – Jack Kirby. This episode is guaranteed to thrill you, chill you, and fulfill you. I am joined pop-culture wizard Jonathan Atterbury and comic book artist Jeremy Megert.

Gene Wilder passed away today at the age of 83. He is one of my favorite actors and he elicits a smile from me when I just see his picture. He is neck and neck with Robin Williams for being my favorite comedic actor and his death rocks the film community where he made some of his most lasting contributions.

Taika Waititi is one name you will soon remember for a very long time if you don’t already know it. Waititi is writer/director here for ‘Hunt for the Wilderpeople‘, which is already in the top 5 BEST movies of the year, but Waititi is also an actor too. He starred in and directed the recent ‘What We Do In The Shadows‘, as well as directed ‘Eagle vs Shark‘ and even worked on ‘Flight of the Conchords‘ amongst other films. He is currently directing the upcoming ‘Thor: Ragnarok‘ film for Marvel, and it’s easy to see why Marvel hired this guy by watching ‘Hunt for the Wilderpeople‘. Even if the premise here is similar to other films, Waititi makes the story and characters entirely refreshing and original.

Director Jean-Marc Vallee is becoming one of the finer filmmakers of this modern age. Even though his resume is a short one, each one of his films has been fantastic. Vallee is one of those directors who does not stick to one particular genre, but rather goes after different stories in different time periods and genres. And while he might not be as drastic as Stanley Kubrick in this fashion, the comparison is still there.

I’ve never hid from you the girl-love I have deep inside me when it comes to beautiful faces, gorgeous bodies or even just their boobs. One person that comes to mind that holds all those qualities, plus makes me wish I were her, is Reese Witherspoon. She’s southern charm in motion. You just know she’s got to make killer sweet tea, right?

Beasts of the Southern Wild is no doubt in my top-10 list for best films of 2012. I know most of you haven’t heard of this film, but rest assured, once you see this film – and I urge you to see this film as fast you can- you will not forget it. Beasts of the Southern Wild is Benh Zeithlin’s feature-length directorial debut, and even though he is only 29 years old, he has a poetic vision that is on par with Stanley Kubrick and Terrence Malick. Zeithlin’s attention to detail allows the movie to successfully portray backwater Louisiana, magical realism, and a culture’s determination and strength. It is unlike anything I have seen. Not only is this film entertaining, smart, and creative, it is also important in that it shows a very realistic portrayal of some of the poorest people in present day America as they struggle to survive disasters both man-made and natural. This is what every indie filmmaker should strive for.

Beasts of the Southern Wild is no doubt in my top-10 list for best films of 2012. I know most of you haven’t heard of this film, but rest assured, once you see this film – and I urge you to see this film as fast you can- you will not forget it. Beasts of the Southern Wild is Benh Zeithlin’s feature-length directorial debut, and even though he is only 29 years old, he has a poetic vision that is on par with Stanley Kubrick and Terrence Malick. Zeithlin’s attention to detail allows the movie to successfully portray backwater Louisiana, magical realism, and a culture’s determination and strength. It is unlike anything I have seen. Not only is this film entertaining, smart, and creative, it is also important in that it shows a very realistic portrayal of some of the poorest people in present day America as they struggle to survive disasters both man-made and natural. This is what every indie filmmaker should strive for.

Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Los Angeles Film Festival and the Spirit Awards, announced the jury and audience award winners for the 2012 Festival The LA Film Fest ran from Thursday, June 14 to Sunday, June 24 in downtown Los Angeles. The two top juried awards are the Narrative Award and Documentary Award, each carrying an unrestricted $15,000 cash prize funded by Film Independent, for the winning film’s director. The Narrative Award recognizes the finest narrative film in competition at the Festival and went to Pocas Pascoal for the North American Premiere of All is Well, with an Honorable Mention going to Dominga Sotomayor’sThursday Till Sunday. The Documentary Award recognizes the finest documentary film in competition at the Festival and went to Everardo González for the U.S. Premiere ofDrought. The award for Best Performance in the Narrative Competition went toWendell Pierce, Emory Cohen, E.J. Bonilla and Aja Naomi King for their performances in the World Premiere of Joshua Sanchez’s Four. The LA Film Fest also awarded an unrestricted $5,000 cash prize to each short film category.

‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’ looks really interesting. The story follows Hushpuppy, an intrepid six-year-old girl, lives with her father, Wink, in “the Bathtub,” a southern Delta community at the edge of the world. Wink’s tough love prepares her for the unraveling of the universe; for a time when he’s no longer there to protect her. When Wink contracts a mysterious illness, nature flies out of whack-temperatures rise, and the ice caps melt, unleashing an army of prehistoric creatures called aurochs. With the waters rising, the aurochs coming, and Wink’s health fading, Hushpuppy goes in search of her lost mother. Check out the trailer below.

Dimension Films continues its acquisitions streak with the pick up of the road-trip comedy WILD OATS featuring a talented cast including Academy Award® winner Shirley MacLaine, Academy Award® nominee Jacki Weaver and Academy Award® winner Alan Arkin . The film is directed by Howard Deutch who helmed the classics PRETTY IN PINK and SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL, and recently worked at HBO directing shows such as BIG LOVE and HUNG. Claudia Myers and Gary Kanew penned the script which has been described as a spunky comedy that is a cross between SIDEWAYS and THELMA AND LOUISE.

AMC Network is becoming one of the leading networks for original programming. I mean they are competing on a level with HBO and Showtime. They have Mad Men, Zombies, Drugs and Crime, and now they will set their sites on the Wild West with their new show “Hell On Wheels” according to Vulture.

One of the best shows on television to come out in the last 20 years was the re-vamp of Battlestar Galactica which was created by Ron Moore. Now he is gearing up to pitch yet another re-vamp. This time it is the 1960’s show, The Wild, Wild West.

The original series—which ran on CBS from 1965 to 1969—starred Robert Conrad and Ross Martin as Secret Service agents who get reassigned to the Old West. It was described at the time as “James Bond on horseback,”

Now if anyone could do a show right it is Ron Moore.

But I think this project is fairly far off, maybe by three or so years. Let’s hope some BSG vets return for this show.